CHAPTER FOUR : PLANS AND PROMISES
968 Words
sss paced the hallway near the second wing, her boots barely making a sound on the velvet-lined floors. The morning sun filtered through the stained-glass windows, but it brought her no warmth.
Pixis, the cute, white-haired maid with doe-like blue eyes, approached hesitantly. Her cheeks were blotchy from crying, her hands wringing nervously in front of her apron.
"Miss Amazon..."
Amazon turned, her eyes narrowing at the tremble in the girl's voice.
"Pixis? What's wrong?"
Pixis sniffled, her voice breaking. "C-Clara... she’s... she's not well. She tried to come to work, but... she collapsed. I found her sitting behind the linen closet."
Amazon’s heart tightened. "Where is she now?"
"I... I took her to your room. I didn’t know where else to go..."
Without another word, sss stormed back toward her chambers.
Inside, Clara lay weakly on the edge of her bed, her skin pale, lips cracked. A cold compress sat on her forehead, likely placed there by Pixis. The soft girl hovered nearby, still visibly shaken.
Amazon knelt beside the bed. "Clara."
Clara opened her eyes slowly. She tried to smile but winced. "Miss Amazon... you shouldn't worry. I'm okay. Pixis... she talks too much."
"But it was Snow, wasn’t it?" sss asked flatly.
Pixis lowered her head, tears welling up again. "She was angry... Clara flinched... she threw the mug, and then... the slaps... so many... I tried to stop her, I really did..."
Amazon clenched her fists. Fury blazed in her emerald eyes, but she masked it quickly, her voice calm. "I see."
Clara forced herself upright, shaking. "It doesn't matter. She's... powerful. You're already walking a thin line. Just ignore it. Pixis was joking. Right, Pixis?"
Pixis hesitated but nodded under Clara’s pleading gaze.
"Also," Clara added weakly, "Mr. Willows asked for you. He said... Hermit wanted to speak through him. You should go."
She turned to leave, but sss touched her arm. "Sleep in my room tonight. Get rest. That's an order."
Clara blinked.
Pixis immediately stepped forward and supported her, nodding. "I’ll make sure she does."
Amazon gave a rare, soft smile. "Thank you, Pixis."
As she descended the stairs, her pace was unhurried, but her mind raced. Snow had crossed a line. She’d hurt someone dear to sss. That couldn’t go unpunished.
She met Mr. Willows in the front lounge. The older man had a kind but unreadable expression, always impeccably dressed in a gray suit and crimson tie.
"Miss sss," he greeted, rising. "I bring a message from Mr. Hermit. He requests your decision today."
"Decision?"
"Yes. You are to choose whether you wish to work here, or attend school."
Amazon blinked. The answer was obvious. She had no interest in high society, or its schools. She was about to refuse.
Then she heard the roar of engines.
Outside the tall window, she saw Snow in her sparkling pink Porsche, being assisted by her driver.
Ash stepped into her newly polished BMW.
Leah climbed into her glimmering black Lamborghini.
Each of them wore glittering smiles, flashing accessories, and an air of superiority.
Amazon's expression shifted.
From dark...
to grim...
to thoughtful.
And then—bright.
Mr. Willows tilted his head, amused.
"Changed your mind, Miss?"
"Yes," sss said. "I’ll go to school."
Mr. Willows chuckled lightly, eyes glinting with amusement. "Very well. I shall make the arrangements."
---
Meanwhile, in Hermit's private lounge, the four friends lounged like they owned the world.
Leone flipped through a fashion magazine, lazily twirling a pen. "Your grandfather still won’t budge, Hermit?"
Hermit sat silently, gaze distant. "He says I can't inherit the family corporation until I marry. Wife. Kids. The whole package."
Cancer snorted. "That stubborn old man again."
Pisces leaned forward, his soft silver-white curls falling into his eyes. "So... you’re really going to marry someone?"
Hermit didn’t answer immediately.
Scorpio, lounging on the couch with a lollipop in his mouth, smirked. "If it comes to that, might as well pick someone from school. At least then we can have fun watching the chaos."
Leone raised an eyebrow. "Chaos? You mean heartbreaks."
Cancer chuckled. "Or jealousy. Think about it, Hermit’s bride? Every girl at Black-vale will burn with envy."
Hermit stood, cold confidence in his posture. "Then I’ll go to school tomorrow. Let's see what the options are."
As they discussed, something subtle passed between Pisces and Scorpio. Their eyes met. A flicker. The teasing smile Scorpio always wore softened for just a second, while Pisces looked away quickly, a faint pink coloring his cheeks.
Leone noticed and smirked. "Interesting."
But the moment passed as quickly as it had come.
"Alright, Black-vale it is," Scorpio declared. "Let's all go. Make it a royal entrance."
---
At Black-vale Elite School, chaos reigned at the front gates.
"It’s Snow! Look at that Porsche!"
"Ash is glowing! Her BMW is limited edition!"
"Leah’s Lamborghini is like something out of a movie!"
Students crowded around as the three girls descended from their cars. They wore the latest custom uniforms with personal embroidery. Snow waved like a queen.
"They’re the most popular girls in school. Untouchable."
"Queens of Black-vale."
Then the noise shifted.
A sleek black car pulled up.
Out stepped a girl with long, flowing ginger hair that shimmered like wildfire. Her emerald eyes sparkled with defiance and danger. She wore an expensive uniform with no flashy accessories, but it suited her like royalty.
Amazon.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
"Who... is that?"
"New girl? Ginger hair? She’s stunning!"
"No, she's beyond stunning. Did you see her eyes?"
"She looks expensive... powerful. Like a storm."
Even Snow’s confident expression twitched.
Amazon didn’t look around. She simply walked past them all, her presence radiating like fire through ice. No fear. No arrogance.
Just calm, and something deeper.
Something dangerous.
And the battle had just begun.
- Writer
